India v Australia: Virat Kohli to miss three Tests to be at child's birth
- Published
Kohli (right) led India to a 2-1 victory in their most recent Test series in Australia
India captain Virat Kohli will miss three of the four Tests on this winter's tour of Australia to be at the birth of his first child.
The 32-year-old, one of the world's leading batsmen, will return home after the first Test starting on 17 December.
His wife, actress Anushka Sharma, is due to give birth in January.
Anyone arriving in Australia must quarantine for 14 days, making it impractical for Kohli to rejoin the squad.
The second Test in Melbourne begins on 26 December, followed by the third in Sydney from 7 January, before the final Test in Brisbane on 15 January.
Kohli will play in the three Twenty20s and three one-day internationals that precede the Test series.
England captain Joe Root missed the first Test against West Indies in July when he left the bio-secure bubble to attend the birth of his second child.
Kohli has captained in 55 Tests, five short of MS Dhoni's India record, and is second in the International Cricket Council's Test batting rankings.
He led India to a first Test series victory in Australia in 2019.
Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will lead India in Kohli's absence.
Batsman Rohit Sharma has been added to the Test squad, having initially been left out because of a hamstring injury.
Meanwhile, wicketkeeper Sanju Samson has been added to the ODI squad, while spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been ruled out of the T20 series and is replaced by T Natarajan.
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